Matt Harrison has had a rough couple of years since signing a nice, big contract following the 2012 season when he won 18 games and was arguably the best pitcher on the staff alongside Yu Darvish.
The former all-star and 2011 World Series Game 7 starter has pitched in six games since signing that contract, seeing both his 2013 and 2014 seasons come to an early end due to back surgeries, the most recent being a spinal fusion procedure this past summer that his future in doubt.
But Harrison is holding out hope that he will pitch for the Rangers again, even if general manager Jon Daniels isn't counting on seeing Harrison in 2015, or possibly ever again — not because he doesn't want to but because the odds are against the lefty.
"I don't feel like I'm not going to be able to pitch again," Harrison told FoxSports.com. "I haven't thrown yet. That will be the tell-tell sign."
That's what Harrison is working on right now. He says his back is pain-free, and he's meeting with Dr. Drew Dossett on Monday in Dallas to determine his next course of action and whether he can begin throwing in January with hopes of making rehab starts in May and returning to the bigs in June.
"It doesn't mean it's going to happen," Harrison said of the timeline for a return. "It gives you a target date. It would be right around a year from when I had my surgery."
If Harrison can somehow beat the odds, similar to how Colby Lewis did in 2014, it would be a huge boost to the Rangers' rotation, especially with Martin Perez set to return sometime in the summer from Tommy John surgery.
